DoT working on broadband spectrum auction

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Department of Telecom (DoT) Wednesday said it is working on auctioning the broadband spectrum following the Finance Ministry's directive to speed up the process, but it did not specify any time frame for the auction.

"They (Finance Ministry) have asked us to expedite the process and we are certainly working on all the aspects involved. We will have to see the availability of spectrum on a countrywide basis to maximize the value," Telecom Secretary R. Chandrashekhar told reporters here.

The announcement follows the finance ministry's constant pressure on the DoT to go for a fresh round of broadband auction this financial year.

Last year, while the third generation (3G) auction had fetched the government Rs.70,000 crore, the broadband wireless access (BWA) auction got government Rs.38,543.31 crore revenue.

About the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) query on cancellation of 74 licenses for missing out on roll-out obligations, Chandrashekhar said that the ministry was looking at it.

TRAI had recommended cancellation of 74 licenses for not meeting roll-out obligations while the telecom department had brought down the numbers to 17.